Lord of the Silent - Elizabeth Peters [165]
“Ah, yes, Miss Minton,” said Emerson thoughtfully. “You haven’t put her on your list either.”
“I had not finished the list. Rest assured I am well aware that we owe her a debt of gratitude for rescuing your—er—Sethos. I have it all worked out. Now hurry and dress, Emerson, we must get an early start.”
When we went down to breakfast we found the Vandergelts already at table. I had expected Cyrus would be “raring to go,” as he quaintly expressed it, but I was somewhat surprised to see Bertie also dressed for riding.
On second thought, I was not surprised.
Our appearance had interrupted a rather brisk discussion between mother and son. Katherine turned to me in appeal. “I have been trying to dissuade Bertie from going, Amelia. He isn’t fit enough yet.”
Rapidly I considered what advice I ought to give. Bertie’s presence would inhibit our conversation to some extent, since we had agreed that for the time being at least Katherine should be spared the knowledge that we were involved with not one but two groups of criminals. She had seen the advantages of Egyptology as a profession for Bertie, but she would most probably consider that a distinct disadvantage.
The young man was too well-bred to say more than, “I assure you, Mother, I am up to it,” but his mutinous expression made it clear he meant to have his way, so I patted her hand and reassured her.
“We will only be out for a few hours, Katherine, and in the coolest part of the day. Nefret and I will make sure he doesn’t overdo.”
“Quite right,” said Emerson, pausing in his brisk intake of nourishment. “You can’t keep the lad wrapped in cotton wool forever, Katherine. Let him have his head. We will look after him.”
Having mixed his metaphors and thoroughly vexed his hostess, he returned to his eggs and toast with the complacent air of a man who has been the soul of tact. Unconvinced but outvoted, Katherine said no more.
We had arranged the night before that Nefret and Ramses should meet us at the Castle. When they turned up they were accompanied by two youthful Egyptians, whom I had no difficulty in identifying as Jumana and her brother.
Daoud’s description of the girl had not done her justice. What made her remarkable was not only her pretty face but the vivacity that animated every feature. Her brother bore a strong resemblance to her, but that morning his handsome face was disfigured by a swelling that had almost closed one of his eyes.
As soon as we set off, Jumana attached herself to Emerson, so I joined Bertie, whose attempt to ride beside her she had coolly ignored. His eyes fixed on the slim little figure of the girl, who was gesticulating so vigorously she appeared to be in danger of falling off the horse, he did not respond to my innocuous if pointless remark that it was a fine morning. I nudged him gently with my parasol.
“I beg your pardon?” he said, starting.
“Well?” Nefret had joined us. “What do you think of her?”
“I have not had time to formulate an opinion,” I replied. “If she is as intelligent as she is—er—enthusiastic . . .”
“She is also a conniving little minx,” said Nefret with a smile. “You see how she is making up to Father. Before you got here, Ramses was the object of her attentions.”
“Oh, I say,” Bertie exclaimed. “She’s not a . . . she’s not like that. Really, she’s not.”
“Her interest is purely professional,” Nefret explained. “She’s a Moslem female; she assumes that the men in the family make the decisions, and she is dead set on becoming an Egyptologist.”
Bertie’s ingenuous face brightened. “Well, so am I.” He drew himself up, straightened his shoulders, and looked about with an air of great interest. “Cyrus mentioned we were going to Deir el Bahri. That’s Queen Hatshepsut, isn’t it?”
“Very good,” I commended, and launched into a little lecture on the career of that illustrious woman. Nefret, who of course knew all about it, fell back to where she had wanted to be all along—with Ramses, that is.
The queen’s mortuary temple was one of the favored sites on the west bank and one of the most conspicuous. As we approached I explained